Jailton Almeida aims to challenge Ciryl Gane next in the octagon if he secures a victory over Serghei Spivac at UFC 311, marking his third callout of Gane after previous attempts were ignored following wins over Derrick Lewis and Alexandr Romanov.
New year, same old callout! Jailton Almeida is eyeing Ciryl Gane next if he conquers Serghei Spivac at UFC 311 in L.A. this weekend.
“Malhadinho” has been chasing a fight with the former interim champ since he beat Derrick Lewis in 2023. No dice. Fast forward a year, another swift win over Alexandr Romanov, another ignored callout.
“First, I gotta crush Spivac, and do it well,” Almeida shared with MMA Fighting. “Then, I’m grabbing that mic and asking for Ciryl Gane in France. Third time’s the charm, right? Fingers crossed he bites this time. My crew and I are itching to explore France!”
Almeida was cruising at 6-0 in the UFC until Curtis Blaydes knocked him off course in early 2024. He was set to face Alexander Volkov afterward, but Romanov stepped in instead. Back to winning ways now, the Brazilian heavyweight feels the pressure easing.
“Getting back on track felt surreal,” Almeida admitted. “The psychological weight was intense—only my team and I get it. Losing again would’ve been crushing, especially against someone slipping down the ranks.”
With Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall holding the belts, and having faced Blaydes before, Almeida saw no choice but to step back a notch in the rankings for now.
“Gotta show up and be noticed,” Almeida stated. “[Spivac] has tangled with top dogs like Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane, so he’s no pushover. His recent win streak boosts my potential victory.”
Spivac’s on fire with four wins in his last five UFC bouts—all finishes—only faltering against Gane in Paris. Almeida knows Spivac’s tough.
“In his last bout with Tybura, he got taken down but capitalized on a mistake,” Almeida observed. “His grappling’s solid; striking, not so much. The Gane fight proved that—he was lost on his feet and got KO’d. We’ll keep our distance and wait for the perfect takedown opportunity.”